


Our Heavy Burdens

by OurDeal



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Ending, Avengers non compliant, M/M, One Shot, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Pre-Serum Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-13 17:30:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20586317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OurDeal/pseuds/OurDeal
Summary: Steve and Bucky have a conversation on what they want their future to be ( sort of sequel to A crab in a fish pond)





	Our Heavy Burdens

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this took five ever and a day, but it's finally here...enjoy

They couldn’t stop looking at each other. After all these years apart, and after their separate pains, they never forgot about each other. Steve is just happy to have Bucky by his side again. He felt as if he lost a limb and was just wandering around without it, while Bucky—he found his purpose and sense of being again. It pains him though, to know that there are so many memories—both good and bad—that have been taken from him by force. He wishes that he could remember something—anything other than the bare minimum, but looking at Steve, his pain eases a bit. He knows he’s back where he belongs—although not in the same time period, but with the person, he loves the most.

It didn’t matter that they have spent the last few years in the 21st century together, or that they’ve been through battles and won. It was always about them coming back to each other at the end of the day—_ ‘till the end of the line’ _wasn’t a term that they threw around lightly. So now seeing Steve in his original form—how he was before the serum makes no difference to Bucky. He’s still the love of his life. Sure, he might not be as strong, and might not heal as fast, but he’s still Bucky’s best guy. The only one he ever cared for—the only one who he wanted to come home to, day after day.

It’s taken some getting used to—Steve not being as strong as he once was, and his ailments coming back full force. Something that Bucky thought he had finished dealing with, but no matter—if it means that he will have Steve right by him, then so be it. There had been so many questions at first—What does it mean for him, if this Steve is here and the old Steve is back in the 20th century? Do things change because this Steve is here instead of the other one? Why haven’t his memories been affected?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_“Well, from what the other Steve said, you would still fall…but not because I wasn’t there…but because it was him who was trying to save you. Instead of me being rejected from the Army, he was already there, so there was no need for me to try. He took my place—even if it meant watching you fall all over again. He knew that it would hurt, but because he knew that it would be you that I would be coming back to. He decided to not change the circumstances of what happened, but who it happened with. He knew that he couldn’t leave you alone, and come hell or high water, he knew that there had to be some way to get back to you while still ending up with Peggy. How he explained it to me was that because we are two versions of the same person, it’s more of us swapping spots instead of changing a timeline. I became his placeholder while he became mine.” That in hindsight made total sense. It meant that there would still be a Steve Rogers out there, in the original space and time, but Bucky wouldn’t have to keep on going without him. _

_ “Well, I don’t know what to say—I mean, it’s pretty freaking clever, punk…but that does still mean that I fell off the train? That Hydra still got to me?” When those words left Bucky’s mouth, he wished that he could take it back right away. All Steve could do with teary eyes threating to spill over was nod. Because it meant that his timeline—the 21st-century one basically went unaffected. His arms wrap around bony shoulders, and bony arms wrap around him. He knows that it will take some time, but he can work with the new circumstances that have been given to him. _

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

He can’t help but just stare at Steve painting—his hands covered in different colors, while his apron sports different shades of different splotches from his hands. While he took some time to concentrate on the canvas in front of him, Steve couldn’t help but to steal glimpses at Bucky from across their small living room. It was a perfect day in late fall, with the air crisp from the ever-looming start of winter hanging around. He’s gotten better, and he’s a lot happier to not be in constant pain now that the medication that he’s been put on has helped him manage almost all of his illnesses that come with fall. There was even a point that he had considered talking to Thor—about possibly taking Steve to the village in Iceland that they just created so that the healers could look at him. Then life just got in the way and they became too busy to settle down a date to go—until now.

“Stevie, sweetheart—I have something to tell you.” Bucky’s hand lands on Steve’s small shoulder, while grey stare into blue. A brush balances delicately between Steve’s fingers while one eyebrow lifts in curiosity. It’s something that Bucky has been wanting to do for a while—to get Steve to be as healthy as if he had the serum. It’s what they wanted when they lived back in the ’40s. Not having to worry about Steve possibly not surviving the next illness, if the current illness didn’t get to him first. Kneeling down to look at Steve eye to eye, Bucky’s hand goes to hold Steve’s paint-covered one.

“I talked to Valkyrie, and she’s willing to have some of the healers look at you to see what they can do. There’s a possibility for you to live a normal life free from illness and medication. So, what do you say, Steve? Do you think it’s something you want to try?” There are tears welling up in Steve’s eyes, and Bucky’s nervous. Steve smiles, and a sigh of relief leaves Bucky’s chest. Leaning close to press his lips against Steve’s, Bucky still can’t believe that he’s gotten lucky twice. There’s a chance that he could help Steve to be and stay healthy. Serum or no serum, Steve will always be his—the man that he fell in love with when they were kids. He doesn’t care that he’s no longer able to hold the shield, as long as Bucky can hold his hand, that’s all that matters now.

“All that matters, Bucky, is that I get to spend my life with you…that I have spent my life with you and that I get to continue it. I could care less where we end up, as long as we’re there together. I could spend all day doing this for example. Watching you read your book on the couch while I paint. This is the life that I always wanted for us, but I thought I would never make it to see it. I just can’t believe that I get a second chance, and although I’m not the ‘old’ me that you knew, I am still the same me. The serum didn’t change anything but my body, and even then, I was still the same me that I was before the serum. I know I’m not the Steve you expected, but I hope I can be the Steve you want.” A weak smile graces his lips and Bucky feels tears slide down his face. Squeezing Steve’s hands between his, Bucky can’t help but to press his lips against Steve’s. He already loves this Steve, and nothing—no serum, no shield, and no war can or would ever change that. 


End file.
